Stranded Crew of Union Demeter Promised to Go Home Soon

Twenty-three Chinese sailors, who have been stranded on board a general cargo vessel at Haldia Port in India for over a month, will be allowed to return home soon, Cai Zhifeng, Chinese Consulate General in Kolkata, said.

Having found out of the incident, the consulate general visited the ship and launched the necessary procedures with relevant government institutions to enable the crew to go home.

The 20,500 dwt Union Demeter arrived at Haldia Port from China in December 2016 and has been under detention since then.

The ship is owned by Nanjing-based shipping company Tranvast Holdings Limited and its crew is from shipping firm Nanjing Yuanteng.

Reports say that the court in Mumbai ordered the arrest of the ship due to unpaid bunkering debts.

Tranvast recently went bankrupt and the seafarers haven’t received their salaries worth USD 218,000 for five months.

The country’s government refused to release the crew if there is no other company to take over the vessel, China Radio International (CRI) cited Dai Xiaosong, Captain of Union Demeter, as saying.

World Maritime News Staff; Image Courtesy: The Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Kolkata